Gumball's secret
by SneakyDekuScrub
Summary: Follow gumball from the amazing world of gumball as he tries to keep a secret from his friends and family, while trying to figure out who had left him with the strange girl who claims to be his daughter, who didn't even know the name of the person who took care of her beforehand. Please review. Literature involves X pairings.
1. Chapter 1 An odd message

Chapter 1: An Odd Message

In Elmore City, the sun was beaming down on the town on a peaceful Sunday. In the backyard of a calm house was a young 15 year old blue cat relaxing with his brother, a 14 year old fish. They were siblings who normally got into crazy antics around town which had been calming down over the years, and they were enjoying what they thought would be their last day of peace. "Hey, Gumball, are you excited about tomorrow?" the goldfish asked his brother apparently named Gumball. "Well it is high school. Why, Darwin, aren't you?" Gumball answered his question in confusion while the shadow of the tree they were under was cast over them.

"I'm just a little worried" Darwin implied. The two of them were starting their first day of high school tomorrow. "Why? We're gonna have our same friends there and we can make new ones too," Gumball explained since most of their friends were going to start high school with them as well. "…Yeah, I guess you're right. How've things been with Penny?" he asked in response after being calmed down by his brother. "We've been going fine so far. She was thinking of introducing me to her parents sometime over dinner," Gumball responded with a hint of nervousness in his voice. He didn't exactly make a good impression on his girlfriend's family. In fact the first impression he made was downright terrible.

"I did that with Rachel's parents last week they liked me a lot," Darwin claimed happily, making Gumball roll his eyes in irritation until they heard a familiar song playing. It was an ice cream truck that was stopped in their neighborhood "Your turn or mine to get the ice cream?" Gumball asked. He saw his brother stand up. "Mine, be back in a sec," Darwin told him happily before running off. Most of the time he had a happy optimistic attitude and was rarely brought down.

Gumball just laid back and relaxed, though when he opened his eye he saw a paper plane flying around. He looked at the paper plane being carried around by the wind bellowing in his ears. He raised an eyebrow before suddenly the paper plane poked him in the eye, making him yelp in pain before pulling it out of his eye. He noticed some writing on it and flattened out the paper plane. It was actually a note, so Gumball got up and looked around over the fence and at his neighbors' houses, seeing no one around. He questioned where the letter came from and read it. 'After school, you will get a phone call, Gumball…'

Gumball was confused by what it read, but when he saw Darwin come back with the ice cream he rapidly tore it to shreds and hid it away in his pocket, not wanting to worry darwin. "Thanks a lot," he said chuckling nervously as he started licking his ice cream. Darwin was happy so far but hoped that high school would be as good as Gumball said it was.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2 The first day of high school

Chapter 2: The First Day of High School

Gumball was sleeping calmly in his bed while Darwin was sleeping in his fishbowl until their alarm went off. They were both jolted awake from their sleep. "Morning, Gumball," Darwin said yawning as he climbed out of his fishbowl still tired. "Yeah, 'good' morning," Gumball responded having a hint of nervousness in his voice. He was still creeped out by the note he had received yesterday but he knew he would be expecting a phone call after school. He tried to forget about it, remembering about the fact that today was their first day of high school, and he was excited to see his friends there. He thought that it was going to be a great day.

Gumball and Darwin raced downstairs and found their mother named Nicole, another blue cat who was cleaning up the kitchen. She saw the two of them sit at the table in their kitchen. "Morning, boys," she said while Gumball and Darwin were pouring each other's cereal before beginning to eat it. Gumball was still distracted by the note from before. He couldn't stop thinking about it like something had possessed him to keep thinking about it. Before he even realized it, he had finished his cereal and had just been biting an empty spoon until Darwin slapped him to wake him back up in confusion. "What was that for?!" he asked in surprise by it but knew himself about what he was doing.

"You were eating your spoon," Darwin told him like he normally did whenever he had to slap him until they heard the sound of a horn outside. Both of them hopped off the chairs and ran out of the house to get to the bus.

Darwin and Gumball were excited for the day to come as they were arriving on the bus. When they got in, the bus driver closing the door behind them and Darwin and Gumball walked down the rows of seats to try and find somewhere they could sit. So far they were seeing all their old classmates in the bus with them too. Darwin found a seat at the back of the bus which slightly irritated Gumball until he heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Gumball! Over here!" He looked over and saw his girlfriend, an anthropomorphic peanut with antlers sticking out of her shell. He sighed in relief and went over to her to take a seat beside her.

"Hey, Penny," Gumball greeted her. He was trying to relax and forget about the note as she looked over at him. "Hey, Gumball, we need to talk," Penny started speaking happily while holding his hand. He gulped having a bad feeling of what he knew what she wanted to talk about. "A-about what?" he asked nervously shying away from the conversation. "My parents agreed to have you over for dinner. You just have to say what night and I'll let them know," Penny explained to him making him more nervous as he nodded. "H-how about Tuesday? T-tomorrow?" he asked. Penny nodded agreeing to let them know, though they both knew that he has to be on his best behavior to impress her father.

It wasn't long before the bus stopped, and Gumball and Penny could see the new school, known as Elmore High School. The bus stopped and everyone began piling out and entering the new school. "I'll see you at lunch," Penny told Gumball before giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

Gumball smiled and nodded as Penny went off to her class. He knew that he only had a few classes that he shared with her, and he sighed knowing that he couldn't enjoy the day because of his paranoia. He just ignored it and heading to his first class which was unfortunately science, a subject he disliked. He groaned and headed for this class.

Once Gumball arrived to his science class, he saw Darwin there as well. He then took a look at his teacher. The teacher was leather glove person with the name Henson. Gumball took his seat at his desk in the middle of the rest of the class and started the first day at his new school. It already felt great, but the dinner with Penny's parents and the note he received was terrifying him to his core, but he was determined to not let it show on the outside, or let anyone know about the note in general, so he just tried to get through the school day.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3 the phone call

Chapter 3: The Phone Call

It wasn't long before the first day of high school was done and everyone was heading back outside to head back home, either on the buses or bikes. Gumball was walking with most of the crowd in the hall but when walking by the cafeteria doors he noticed someone familiar in it. He went into the cafeteria where no one else was in aside from one of his other friends. A ghost girl with her hair covering her left eye was looking around the cafeteria, floating through the tables and chairs to try and find something.

"Hey, Carrie!" Gumball called out to the ghost who was known as Carrie. She floated down to his level of height. "Oh, hey Gumball…" she greeted him in her usual depressed sigh. She was an emo social floater. "What are you looking for?" Gumball asked since he had watched her search most of the cafeteria. "My bow. It fell off and I only noticed it was gone after lunch," she explained. He nodded remembering what her bow looked like. "I'll help ya find it," Gumball insisted to help her. They have both had odd experiences in the past together, mainly supernatural ones.

After a while of searching, Gumball had found the bow and picked it up. There was a small skull on the bow but it was just as ghostly like as she was. "Hey, Carrie! I found it," Gumball said. Carrie floated over and took it from him, putting it back on her hair. This was one of the rare times where she showed a smile on her ghostly face. "Thanks, Gumball," she thanked him. "No problem," he replied with a chuckle.

To their confusion, they both started hearing a loud ringing sound which sounded like a telephone in the cafeteria. "You brought your cellphone with you to your classes?" Carrie questioned him finding it very dumb. "No way, I left it off in my backpack all day," Gumball claimed scratching his chin. The ringing continued but he remembered the note and gasped. 'A phone call after school' was what the note read and it might have been literal. "Carrie, you gotta help me find where that ringing is coming from!" he begged for her to help raising her curiosity, though he felt stupid just after Carrie had pointed to the kitchen. He chuckled embarrassedly and walked to the kitchen.

Gumball entered the kitchen and looked over everything in it. The whole area was empty but he saw a phone on the wall ringing, although Carrie was listening in secretly, even as he picked it up. "Hello?" he answered nervously. "Hello, Gumball. I'm glad you got the note," someone in a deep voice answered. "Who are you?" Gumball asked in irritation starting to get angered by the person who seemed to be stalking him, judging by how he knew what phone to call in the school.

Unfortunately for Carrie, she could only hear Gumball on the phone. "I'm not important, but someone important is coming. She will arrive at 1am tonight. She is your responsibility now," the person on the phone claimed before hanging up immediately. "No wait! Don't hang up! Hello?! Who is she?! Answer me!" Gumball screamed in anger. It was no use as he threw the phone against the wall. His rage was peeking at this point.

Suddenly, Gumball realized that he had probably missed the bus. He facepalmed before he left the kitchen, finding Carrie just floating in place pretending that she hadn't moved a single inch. "Why didn't you go get on the bus?" Gumball asked confusedly. "Because I heard shouting. Are you okay?" she questioned since her curiosity was still getting the better of her. He gulped not wanting to answer since he wanted to deal with this himself and did not want to worry his friends. "Y-yeah, someone just messed up a package I was trying to o-order. Do you want me to walk you home?" Gumball offered after making up a fib. Carrie accepted happily and left the cafeteria with him. They both left the empty school to make their way to their homes.

Gumball just stayed silent during the walk. The sun was shining brightly on them but it didn't take long for them to arrive to Carrie's home, which was an old abandoned home was old. No one had lived in it for a long time except her ghostly family, which is why it wasn't in good condition. They didn't have much of a way to repair it, nor did they have a reason to. They stood on her front porch as Carrie turned to Gumball. "Thanks again for helping me find my bow," she said. "I told you, it was no problem. Well see ya around," he replied before walking away.

"Hey, Gumball!" Carrie called him making him stop in his tracks and turn to her. "Yeah?" he answered with a raised eyebrow. "If you need any help, I guess I could help as thanks for helping me," she said not really acting like herself, making him snicker but barely stop from laughing. "Thanks, bye," he waved before running off to get back home.

It didn't take Gumball too long to get back home. He was tiredly panting as he noticed his parents' car which had bags in it, like they were going on vacation. He was confused until he saw his father, an overweight big pink rabbit carrying out another bag and shoving it in the trunk, slamming it shut after. Gumball went up to his mother confusedly. "What's going on?" he asked but his mother let out a sigh of irritation. "Your grandma's sick and your dad's just overreacting right after he heard that she ended up in the hospital, so we're going to spend a few days taking care of her," she explained to him what was going on.

"Um, we?" Gumball asked, afraid that he might have to go since he remembered what the person on the phone said about something important coming tonight. "Yeah, me, Richard and Anais. I don't like leaving you and Darwin here alone but we'll be back at Saturday, so please try not to ruin the house entirely," his mother told him. They heard the horn honk and saw Richard stick his head out the car window. "Let's go, come on!" he shouted. It was the first time he seemed dead set on something other than being lazy. His mother sighed and went into the car as well. Gumball could see his little sister sitting in the backseat looking annoyed too. He waved to them while they drove away and left the house. He just hoped that his grandma will be okay, but he had other concerns to attend to himself, so he thought that it was a good thing.

Gumball entered his home, seeing the one big couch in the living room across from the TV. Darwin was sitting on the couch and watching the TV. "Hey, Gumball, where have ya been?" he questioned his brother since he didn't see him on the bus after school. "I was helping Carrie and when we missed the bus I walked her home. So what's on?" Gumball responded while sitting down beside him on the couch. "Nothing, just reruns of Criminal Minds," his aquatic brother answered.

They were both happy to have the house to themselves, so they could do any crazy thing they wanted like they used to do, but they were not having any plans on it so far, so they just wanted to relax for now, even though Gumball just wanted to deal with the night.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4 the strange girl

Chapter 4: The Strange Girl

Gumball and Darwin had spent the rest of the day in the house together, playing videos games and relaxing. By the time night had fallen, Gumball had completely forgotten about his stressful first day of high school and all of his worries. The house was theirs for a few days, and it was the best thing to hear since now they could just relax right when they arrived home, but they knew that if they wrecked the house, their mother Nicole would not let them live it down since they had before a lot. It was like every time they left they caused something crazy to happen.

Early at 1am, Gumball and Darwin were sleeping peacefully. Suddenly there was someone knocking at the door. Gumball was awakened by it and looked at his aquatic brother, seeing him still asleep in his fish bowl. He groaned as he got up and went downstairs, rubbing his eye as he walked down the steps and past a clock. The time was now 1am as he opened the door while yawning. "Hello?" he answered the door, looking down and noticing a child standing on the porch. Gumball raised an eyebrow and cut on the light. He screamed in surprise and fell back in shock, panting as he saw the child on the porch, which was a female blue cat that looked very similar to him.

Gumball got up, terrified and questioning if this was the important person the man on the phone had told him about. He quickly got up and looked at the stairs to make sure he hadn't accidently woke up his brother.

"Um hello?" Gumball greeted the girl. "Hi…" She barely said nervously. He let her come inside and closed the door behind them. "Who are you?" he questioned her. She was looking around the room like she was afraid of the house. "I never had a name…" the girl answered. He just was feeling stressed out at this point and sighed knowing that he needed to calm down. He crouched down to her height. "Where are your parents?" Gumball asked still confused by why she was here. "They always told me you were my daddy," she told him. He just was getting scared of her wondering what was going on as he stood up.

"And who are they?" Gumball asked wondering about her since he has no recollection of having a daughter or even getting that far with his girlfriend. "I don't know. They always wore black," she told him. Gumball didn't know what to do about it. He sighed and tried to keep calm while standing up. He suddenly started hearing the phone ringing and raised an eyebrow. "Wait here," he told her. She nodded and sat on the couch while he went to the kitchen.

Gumball arrived to the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello?" he answered hesitantly. "Did she arrive?" someone asked. It was the same deep voiced person who had called him back in the afternoon. Gumball knew that he should keep a level head and cooperate. "Yeah, she did. She says she is my daughter. Who is she? And who are you?" he asked worriedly while sitting at his kitchen table with the phone.

The deep voiced person seemed aggravated by the questions, but he spoke. "Fine, I will answer. I'm with the government, and yes she is your daughter in a sense. She was born from your genetic material. We raised her in our testing facilities but when she caused a recent explosion. We thought it was the perfect time to send her to do her job," the man explained, but this just seemed to infuriate him that this had happened without him knowing in the slightest.

"What do you mean her job?" he asked with his head boiling in anger. "She was mainly created to help you calm down your antics, which is why we never gave her a name and kept switching guardians since we do not allow emotional attachments to her. This is the last you will hear from me. She's your problem now," the man claimed before hanging up.

Gumball just sat at the table staring at the phone. It was beeping from being off the hook too long. He held his head unsure of what to do. He hung it up and rubbed his eyes. It was already 3am in the morning as he got up and went back to the living room, seeing the feline girl looking down at the floor. Gumball sat beside her staying silent while they sat in the dark. "I'm sorry," she said out of nowhere. He looked at her confusedly. "What for?" Gumball asked. "For making you mad…" she claimed. Gumball switched a lamp on, seeing she her more clearly. She had a purple shirt and red jeans, an odd clashing color choice she seemed to prefer.

"It's alright, but right now we have a few things to discuss. I sure can't introduce you to my family, at least not yet," Gumball claimed. She nodded while listening, thinking that he was going to try and send her back to the government area they had kept her in before. "But I'm not going to just ignore you like you never existed. Come on," he insisted. They both stood up, the girl wondering what he was going to do. Gumball cut the lights out and leaving the house with her following.

They were walking the dark streets, the moon beaming brightly through the dark. "We need to give you a name," Gumball said. She looked up at him and smiled. "That would be nice," she responded. It was the first time she seemed happy in front of him as he kept thinking while walking, until he had a good idea for a name. "How about Gale?" he offered. "I like it," she agreed upon the name liking it. He chuckled and rubbed the newly named Gale's head, but they shortly stopped as they arrived to Carrie's home. They could see the dark scary damaged house at night which scared Gale.

Gumball sighed and looked at the scared child. "Listen, Gale, I need you to do a big favor for me…" he started, Gale looking up to him seeing a look of remorse in his eyes. "I need you not to tell anyone you're my daughter, at least for now. Can you do that for me?" Gumball asked her. She nodded slowly. "If that's what you want me to do…" she agreed, although she was in belief that he was just going to abandon her. They went up to the front door of the house. He rang the doorbell as she stood beside him.

They saw Carrie float through the door. "Gumball? It's like 3:30 in the morning…" she said, confused about why he was at her house in the middle of the night. She didn't sleep very well since ghosts didn't require it at all. "Carrie, I need some help," Gumball started. Carrie nodded since she remembered that he helped her find her bow. "Yeah, sure, who's that?" she asked. Gumball stepped aside since Gale was hiding behind him. She gave a nervous wave. "This is Gale. S-she's my daughter," he introduced her nervously. Carrie's eyes widened when she heard this.

"I can't keep her at my home. Could she stay with you guys for a while?" Gumball begged Carrie for her help. Fortunately, she nodded. "Yeah, sure she can," she agreed since they were happy to welcome some new life in their home. Gumball crouched down to Gale's height. "I promise I'll come every day after school," he promised her. Gale smiled while heading into the house happily.

Gumball stood up and yawned. "Thanks again, Carrie. If you ever need anything, just ask," he said to her, owing her a lot. "It's nothing. So who's the mother?" Carrie questioned with a mischievous grin. "I-I… um, I can't say… Can you just keep this secret? Please?" Gumball asked and was given a nod of agreement. "Yeah, I will. I'll see you at school. Later," she said before floating back into her home. He let out a sigh and started his walk back home, knowing that he had only a few hours before he had to go back to school.

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5 a calm day

Chapter 5: A Calm Day

The next day at school had arrived. Gumball had been tired from being up late last night, so he was asleep in class with a book covering his face to pretend that he was awake. Darwin had noticed it, but he figured he was up late watching television since he usually liked to take advantage of their parents' absence while they had it for a few more days. Carrie had kept her promise to him and had plans to keep it like that. Suddenly the bell for lunchtime rang, waking up Gumball. He just yawned and got up, heading for the cafeteria.

In the cafeteria, Gumball was sitting at a table eating alone until he saw Penny come over and sit in front of him. "Hey, Gumball," she greeted him. "Oh hey, Penny. You okay?" Gumball asked confusedly. "I should be asking you that. You slept through class. Are you feeling okay?" she questioned him since she was worried that he wasn't feeling well for dinner with her family. "I stayed up late trying to finish some homework," he fibbed still not wanting to talk about his daughter anytime soon. "Alright, well meet me at my home, six tonight," Penny explained to him of when to come over to her house. He nodded insisting that he will show up. She got up and walked away.

After the school day was over, Gumball was at his locker and putting his items into his backpack. He put the bag his back and closed his locker, seeing a majority of the others before he saw his aquatic brother Darwin in the hallway. "Hey, Gumball!" he said excitedly.

"Oh hey, Darwin, what's got you worked up?" Gumball asked confusedly. "A pie truck crashed in the west part of town. We gotta go see it!" Darwin claimed wanting him to come along since this was the kind of thing they would never want to miss in their lives, but then Gumball saw Carrie float by. "Uh, sorry, Darwin. I got to get ready for that dinner at Penny's," he claimed. His brother nodded remembering it and continued his way to the bus to let his brother get ready for it.

Once outside the school, Gumball was pretty much the only one not on the bus. "Hey, Gumball," he looked over and saw Carrie, giving her a smile. "Ready to head over to your house?" Gumball offered that they had planned this from now on to just walk over to her home after school, since he had promised he will do so every day to see his daughter. Carrie nodded and they started making their way for her house.

"Thanks a lot again for doing this, Carrie," Gumball said while they were walking, or in Carrie's case, floating to her house. "It was no problem. We kinda like having her around," Carrie shyly admitted that her family was enjoying Gale's company, but was feeling slightly odd around Gumball, but she didn't feel like telling him. They arrived to her old damaged house and Gumball knocked on the door waiting for an answer. Carrie rolled her eyes and floated through the door to open it. "Don't expect my parents to ever answer. In the day time, they like to scare people," she explained. He nodded understanding why it might have gotten boring as a ghost and had met them before.

When they entered the old house, it looked in a fairly decent shape. The door closed behind them as Gumball looked around for his daughter. "Hey, Gale! I'm back," Gumball called to her. They heard the sound of quick footsteps on planks until they saw Gale come rushing forward. She tackled Gumball and tightly hugged him. He chuckled and rubbed her head. "I told you I'd come back. How's it been with Carrie?" he said chuckling. Carrie smiled seeing the two. "Carrie's family is fun," Gale claimed. She broke the hug and stood there smiling. She was glad that he hadn't abandoned her at all. "That's great to hear, sweetie," Gumball claimed smiling as he put his backpack down nearby aside Carrie's.

After a while, Gumball and Carrie finished their homework and were playing with Gale shortly after. Just then, Gumball heard his cell phone ringing. He pulled it out and opened it. "Hello?" he answered while slightly laughing. "Hey, Gumball," it was Penny. He coughed and calmed down, not wanting her to get suspicious. "H-hey, Penny, what's up?" Gumball asked nervously. "I just wanted to make sure you were coming over for dinner," she reminded him as Gumball was getting his backpack. "Of course I am, six tonight," he responded but then saw an old dusty grandfather's clock nearby. Looking it over, he realized that it was now 5:50 which made his eye twitch.

"Well that's good. See you then," Penny said before hanging up. Gumball put his cell phone in his pocket. "Sorry, Gale, I gotta go," Gumball apologized and sighed seeing them standing there. "Aw…Do you have to go? We were having so much fun," Gale asked him. He smiled and crouched down to her height. "Yeah I do, sorry," Gumball apologized.

Gale looked down sadly as Gumball just looked at her. "Don't worry. Carrie will take good care of you. I know she will," he said trying to cheer her up. "Hey, let me ask you, Gumball. Why do you trust me with her of all your friends?" Carrie asked. She was confused by it ever since he asked. He stood up to look at her. "You're one of my best friends. Why wouldn't I?" he asked. She just looked away sheepishly actually getting a slight blush, as Gumball rubbed Gale's head before running off to get to Penny's. He was dashing for Penny's as fast as possible that he left his backpack behind.

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6 Dinner with the Fitzgeralds

Chapter 6: Dinner with the Fitzgeralds

Gumball had run the whole time so he would be in time for dinner. He arrived to Penny's house, panting and coughing from the long run as he took in a deep breath to try and relax. Once he had calmed down, he rang the doorbell, knowing if he didn't get Mr Fitzgerald's permission to date, Penny it will certainly be over with them. He saw the door open and Penny was standing there. "Gumball, I'm glad you've made it," she said, happy that he had arrived on time nonetheless. "Of course, why would I miss dinner with your parents?" Gumball responded and smiled while stepping inside and Penny closed the door behind him.

Gumball saw Penny's father, Mr Fitzgerald, a huge muscular construction worker who looked very similar to Penny, with antlers and a shell on like the rest of their family. Gumball gulped nervously by seeing him. "Hello, Gumball," he greeted him and held out his hand. Gumball reached for his hand and grabbed it, knowing that his entire relationship with Penny was in her father's hand, even though it was starting out good so far. Mr Fitzgerald was greeted with a familiar strong handshake and look in the eyes that he liked, but he couldn't put his mind on what it was. He grinned which made Gumball smile nervously.

"Right, while dinners being prepared, let's go talk…" Mr Fitzgerald said. Gumball nodded and followed him to the living room where a big green chair was in, along with a television. Penny was secretly listening in on both from around the corner.

Mr Fitzgerald sat down in a chair and Gumball stood in front of him. "Alright, I know you have been with my daughter for a while. So why should I let her date you?" Mr Fitzgerald questioned but had a sigh of response from the young feline boy, which made his eyebrow rise. "I'm not going to pretend to be some fancy person, alright? I'm sorry I didn't act my best around your family when we first met, but I'm not smart or fancy. I'm just a love struck boy. I just want to make her happy," Gumball explained. The conversation had already started off oddly, but on the right foot with her father. Penny was blushing after hearing this.

"Alright, I just want to know. Are you going to be like your dad?" Mr Fitzgerald asked knowing that Gumball's father Richard was lazy and fat, and he knew that his mother Nicole did the main work. "I can't be like my dad at all. I don't have plans to continue my education after high school, but I just want to be able to take care of my family. That is if I get one when I'm older," Gumball implied being honest he couldn't be lazy at all since he had gale now, getting a stunned look from the man as he stood up. Gumball cringed and closed his eyes, thinking that he was going to get punched hard.

"I knew something seemed familiar in your handshake and eyes," Mr Fitzgerald claimed confusing Gumball. "Wha-?" he stuttered in confusion. "It was the look of a hard worker and an adult. Alright, I don't need to hear anymore. I will be happy if you dated my daughter," he said. Gumball nearly fainted, but he was glad that he now had his approval, but was surprised that he got Mr Fitzgerald to like him so fast. "T-thanks, sir," he said happily.

Gumball spent the next few hours of the night, happily enjoying dinner with Penny's family. He was surprised by how things were going. He just smiled and kept going on with everything until it was all done. "It was fun having you over, Gumball. Please don't hesitate to visit us again anytime soon," Mr Fitzgerald said. The fact that he was being polite felt strange to Gumball but he tried to ignore it and smile at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Penny," he said. Suddenly he saw Penny kiss him which surprised him, but made him smile and blush. He left her house after the night surprisingly went very well.

When Gumball arrived back home, he opened the door. He yawned before he looked surprised to see the lights off and Darwin sitting on the couch alongside Rachel, seeing her in her green skirt and white shirt. "Oh, uh, hey guys," Gumball greeted them, having not expected to see her at his house as his brother paused the movie they were watching. "Oh, hey Gumball" Rachel responded and smiled. Before Gumball knew it, he wasn't the only one who had been planning to spend their night with their girlfriend. He looked over to his aquatic brother. "Well, Gumball, you were right when you said not to waste the time we had alone while our family is gone," Darwin said getting a nod of response.

Gumball walked up the steps and went back to their room upstairs. "Is he okay?" Rachel asked noticing the odd behavior from Gumball. "I'll go ask him," Darwin told her. He got up from the couch and went upstairs, but before he opened the door he heard a slight ringing noise.

Darwin peeked through the crack of their room's door, seeing Gumball pull out his cell phone that was ringing. It was Carrie calling as he put it to his ear. "Hello?" he answered. "Hey, Gumball," Carrie responded. He was confused about why she would be calling. "Is something wrong?" he asked Carrie. Darwin was confused. He was wondering who his feline brother was talking to since he was acting concerned, but he presumed that it was Penny. He continued listening to what Gumball was saying. "No, Gale just wanted to talk to you before bed, that's all," she claimed while giving her phone to Gale.

"Hey, daddy," Gale said in her usual cheerful voice. Gumball chuckled in response. "Hey, Gale, how are ya?" Gumball asked while sitting on his bed, lying back and resting his head on the pillow. "I'm okay. Carrie is a lot of fun," she claimed happily. "Well that's great that you're having fun. I don't think I could ever bear to see you sad," he told her while yawning. He was starting to realize something he had changed and had to grow up so fast over the important responsibility he had acquired lately. "Goodnight, daddy. Love you," Gale wished him goodnight. "I love ya too. Goodnight," Gumball responded and hung up his cell phone, though it wasn't long before he was falling asleep shortly after, tired from his long day.

Darwin had listened in on every word Gumball had said and was confused by it. "Who's Gale?" he asked himself before going back downstairs to Rachel with a clear look of confusion on his face. "Are you alright?" she asked wondering what was wrong.

"I heard Gumball talking on the phone to someone. Some Gale person..." Darwin started explaining what he heard and Rachel raised an eyebrow after hearing it all. "Sounds like Gumball's cheating on Penny…" she reluctantly suggested. Darwin didn't want to believe it but that's what it seemed like. He sighed and nodded. "Maybe you should talk to Penny about it," he said. Rachel nodded as they just tried to get back to watching their movie together after the awkward conversation.

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7 The breakup

Chapter 7: The Breakup

The next day had come and Gumball was sitting in the kitchen table like he usually did at mornings. He was eating some cereal, knowing that in a few days the rest of their family will be home. He saw Darwin come for breakfast looking slightly tired. "Dude, how long were you up with Rachel last night?" he questioned curiously but got a yawn in response. "A while, we had a few movies to watch and she left around 2am," he answered before sitting down and pouring himself some cereal, knowing the bus was going to be there soon. "Hey uh, Gumball, can I ask who you were talking to last night?" Darwin asked getting his feline brothers attention.

"W-what do you mean?" Gumball asked pretending that he had no idea what he was talking about. "Well, we heard you tell some Gale girl that you loved her," Darwin implied making him choke on his cereal and cough it out. He was panting nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about," he claimed thinking that he couldn't tell his family about his daughter yet, but they heard the horn of the bus and he immediately got up. "W-well, time to go to school, come on," Gumball said and took off. Darwin just raised an eyebrow. He thought that he should try talking to some of their friends to see if they knew why he was acting very weird.

Gumball sighed while taking his seat at the back of the bus like he usually did. He wanted to get through with this day as he relaxed at the back of the bus. "Hey, Gumball," he saw Carrie floating in front of him holding his backpack. "Oh hey, Carrie, what's up?" he asked and she handed his backpack to him. "You left that at my house," she claimed before taking the seat beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked seeing his saddened expression. "Yeah, I'm fine. Darwin and Rachel heard me talking to Gale last night…" he explained to her. He was whispering so no one else on the bus could hear.

"Don't worry about it. We won't let anything happen to her," Carrie claimed, but Gumball raised an eyebrow. "We?" he asked, thinking that she wouldn't offer her assistance that much. "Yes, she became my responsibility too ever since I agreed to take her in," Carrie claimed surprising the feline boy. He had never really seen her talk about anyone like this. He just stayed silent as the bus stopped. They were already at school, so they all got off the bus, ready to get another school day started.

Once lunchtime had started, Penny was sitting at a table. It was almost empty as the only other person at the table was Tobias. He was Rachel's younger brother although he had a bit of an inflated ego and like the rest of their family he had a headband in his hair. They saw Rachel come and sit down alongside Penny. "Hey, guys," she greeted them nervously, knowing that she was going to tell her about what she and Darwin heard last night.

"Hey, are you okay?" Penny asked seeing Rachel who looked very tired. She nodded and explained about how she was up late with Darwin, much to her embarrassment, but she shook it off. She sighed knowing that she should say it right now. "Listen, something is going on with Gumball," Rachel started hesitantly. "I know. He's acting so mature lately. Even my dad likes him now," Penny said in belief that it was what she was referring to, but it did not feel like a bad thing. "Uh, no, it's not about that. I think he might have another girlfriend," she implied. Penny gave Rachel a strange look before she began laughing, not taking her seriously. Tobias didn't seem to believe his sister either.

"I'm serious Penny. Darwin and I heard him talking to some Gale girl! We heard him tell her he loved her. You can just ask Darwin if you don't believe me," Rachel insisted since Darwin didn't tell lies too often, so Penny nodded, got up from her chair and went over to the table Darwin was at with Carrie, but Gumball was nowhere in sight of the cafeteria. "Hey, Darwin, can I ask you something?" Penny asked getting the boy's attention. "Sure, what is it?" he asked in his usual polite matter while Carrie stayed quiet.

"Did you hear Gumball talking to another girl last night?" Penny questioned him. Darwin let out a sigh. "Yeah, we did," he claimed. Penny's expression became shocked and she looked down, still unsure whether to believe it or not. She then thought that she will try to talk to him after school, hoping that Darwin and Rachel just misheard a conversation.

After school, Gumball was planning on going to Carrie's house like he usually planned, but before he left he saw Penny and Rachel coming towards him. "Oh uh, hey guys, is something wrong?" he asked seeing his girlfriend looking upset and Rachel having a stern look on her face. "We need to talk, Gumball," Penny claimed. He understood and turned to them. "About what?" he asked with a confused look.

"Are you cheating on me?" Penny demanded to know with a look of anger on her. "What? Of course not!" Gumball responded. He was now furious with his brother and was thinking that he was causing trouble now. "Please be honest, Gumball. I was told by Rachel and Darwin that they heard you talking to someone else, telling them you loved them," Penny responded. He sighed and thought that maybe it will be better to let someone else in on the secret. "Give us some privacy, Rachel," he told her. She nodded, fixed her backpack and left to head back home.

Gumball turned to his girlfriend who was just confused. "Alright, I'll be honest, Penny. One hundred percent honest," he started. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and crossed her arms, waiting to hear what he had to say. "I have a daughter, alright? I've been hiding her and visiting her every day after school. I had to grow up for her. I can't be the goofy boy you fell for anymore. I have someone very important in my life who needs me now," Gumball explained as accurate and heartful as he could put it.

Penny didn't believe him, and at that point she snapped at him. "Gumball Watterson! If you can't tell me the truth then there isn't any hope for us!" she shouted but he just sighed. "We're through," Gumball blurted out and left her standing there shocked. He was the one who said it and she saw him walk away. He didn't want to risk anyone else knowing about his daughter, but since she didn't believe him, he figured that nobody will unless he showed her, and that was the one thing he hated thinking about using Gale like that. He shook it off and continuing on to Carrie's house.

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8 Plans with a good friend

Chapter 8: Plans with a Good Friend

Gumball was arriving to Carrie's house after the break up with Penny. He wanted to forget about it completely and move on. He knocked on the door and saw it open. He saw his ghostly friend floating there before him. "Hey, Gumball" she greeted him letting him come inside, closing the door behind him. "Is something wrong?" she asked after seeing him looking depressed, although he smiled when seeing Gale playing with some of his old toys he had given her. "Oh… uh… Penny and I broke up. I tried to tell her about Gale and she didn't believe me," Gumball explained what had happened word for word. Carrie looked at him and sighed. "Oh…" Carrie said awkwardly since she was not sure how to comfort those with broken hearts.

"Hi, daddy," Gale said getting their attention. He smiled at her, crouched down and hugged her. "Hey there, sweetheart. Have you been good for Carrie?" Gumball asked smiling, though he realized how he was talking now and was starting to notice why everyone was claiming that he was acting mature. Gale nodded as she had been good all day. "Carrie's always fun," she responded. Gumball gave her a chuckle before he stood up and turned to Carrie. "I don't know how I can thank you. You took in my daughter, you've kept our secret and you've made her happy. I owe you a lot," he told her.

Carrie got a shy blush from him talking like this. "You don't owe me anything. I told you it was nothing," Carrie responded to him but he didn't listen. "I wish I didn't, but I do. Why don't I take you with us to the movie theater tomorrow?" Gumball offered. "The movies? Really?" Gale asked with glee and Gumball nodded. That was just what they were going to do tomorrow. "…I guess," Carrie agreed to it showing a smile before punching him playfully in the shoulder. "Come on, we should get started on our homework," she insisted. He nodded and let Gale go back to playing while he went to do his homework with Carrie.

After a few hours, it was getting late at night and the three of them had spent most of it having a lot of fun together, though it was really late and Carrie wasn't hearing any sound from the living room Gale was in. She looked around the corner and saw the young feline asleep on the floor. She sighed and went over and picked up Gale and put her on the old couch.

Afterwards, Carrie came back to Gumball and was planning to finish their homework, but when she came back she saw him asleep too. She face palmed over the sight of this. "I guess that calls it a night," Carrie mumbled, so she went to her own room to let them sleep. She was starting to notice that she herself was changing. She wasn't as down as she used to be and ever since she started watching over Gale, she was actually smiling a lot more than she used to. She looked at herself in a mirror and put a hand up to her reflection. "Is this… is he… are they making me happy?" she asked herself confusedly with too many questions in her head. After that she went off to bed.

Next morning, Gumball was still asleep until he heard a ringing noise. He woke up and let out a groan, realizing that he had fallen asleep at Carrie's home. He heard his cellphone ringing so he pulled it out of his backpack, opened it and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he answered while rubbing his eye. "Gumball! Finally you answered!" it was Darwin and he sounded worried. "What's wrong, Darwin?" Gumball asked confusedly while yawning. He saw Gale still asleep on the couch. "Where were you? I heard about you breaking up with Penny and you never answered when I tried to call!" he said since he had been worried so much about his feline brother, and was in belief that it might have harmed himself out of some form of depression.

Gumball just raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine, why?" he asked, but his cheerful voice surprised his aquatic brother. "Our parents are coming home today. You mean you're not sad? I thought she was your dream girl!" Darwin questioned still surprised by it. Gumball sat down on the old couch while holding the cellphone. He smiled while looking over at his slumbering daughter. "Penny wasn't there when I needed her. I was just a blind kid," he claimed while his aquatic brother stayed quiet for a while, unsure of how to respond. Gumball had changed so much for the past few days, but he never thought he would hear this. "Well just get home in a few hours. That's when mom, Anais and dad get home!" Darwin reminded him.

Gumball chuckled. "Alright, I'll be home. Later," Gumball claimed. He hung up and put his cellphone away, and he saw Gale starting to wake up and yawn. "Oh, good morning, daddy," she said seeing him since he normally wasn't around in the mornings. He rubbed her head and smiled. "Good morning," he responded before seeing Carrie float to them. "Oh hey, you're awake already," she said. Gumball rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about falling asleep last night," he apologized, knowing that it probably wasn't right. She just shrugged not seeming to mind at all. "It's alright," Carrie claimed.

"Daddy, can we play in the park before we go to the movies?" Gale asked. Gumball just rubbed her head. "Sure we can," Gumball responded happily. "I'll meet you at the theater Later," Carrie claimed. He nodded and left with Gale who was holding his hand following him happily. Carrie looked at the old beaten up house and sighed. "…she can't stay when fall and winter comes," she told herself, knowing that soon she had to talk to Gumball about it. The old beaten house couldn't keep warm in fall or winter, and she knew it'd be an unsafe environmental for gale. Just the thought alone annoyed her, but she was glad that it was spring, so she wouldn't have to for a while.

End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9 Family's return

Chapter 9: Family's Return

Darwin was relaxing around the empty house he had to himself until he heard a horn outside. He opened the door to see their parents and his younger sister getting out of the car and unpacking all of their items. "How was it with grandma?" Darwin asked Anais seeing her look annoyed. "It went… fine… I guess," she answered before heading off to her room carrying her bags. He just shrugged and went over to their mother Nicole. "Hey, mom," he greeted her and tried to lift off one of the heavy bags. "Hey, Darwin. How was everything while we were gone?" she questioned, worried that she would find her home in shambles but was shocked when she found her home completely intact.

"Wow… you actually kept the house clean…" Nicole said stunned. Darwin gave a proud smile but then a quick frown. "Gumball hasn't been himself lately. He's like an entirely different person now!" Darwin claimed getting his mother's undivided attention. "What do you mean, Darwin?" she asked him. "He's been acting… like… well… like you! Like an adult and he even broke up with Penny!" he explained the odd change of his feline brother while they were away. Nicole listened to every word but it just confused her more and more. "Alright… I'm sure he's just reacting oddly to the breakup... I'll talk to him, don't worry," she reassured her fish son before heading inside.

Meanwhile, Gumball was at the movie theater. After watching Wreck-it Ralph with his daughter and Carrie, he left the theater with her. He was smiling. Seeing Gale happy always made him happy. It was like he had never broken up with Penny. "How'd you like the movie, Carrie?" Gumball asked. "It was fine. You didn't have to buy me a ticket. I could have just snuck in," Carrie answered, embarrassed that he had paid for all of their tickets when she could have just floated through the walls to get in for free. "I wouldn't want you looking over your shoulder for any workers," Gumball responded with a smile. She sighed and showed a sheepish smile to him. "I had a lot of fun," she claimed while Gale was throwing away their trash.

"I still owe you a lot," Gumball said. "Wha- how many times do I have to tell you? You owe me nothing," Carrie responded embarrassedly before seeing him get a grin. "Maybe we could hang out again sometime?" he offered and got a blushing nod of agreement from her while Gale was at the lobby. She then saw Tobias, but she didn't know who he was, so she went back to Gumball.

Tobias caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye. He was confused, but he went over to confirm what he saw. He peeked around the corner and saw Gumball picking up Gale. "Ready to head back to the house, honey?" he asked. Gale nodded happily. "Yes, daddy," she answered resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled while leaving the movie theater with Carrie while carrying Gale. Tobias saw them leave which confused him entirely. "Huh… so what Rachel said was true…" he told himself. He knew by now that he should probably tell Penny.

Gumball, Gale and Carrie were arriving back to the old beaten house which Carrie called home. "I had a lot of fun with you today," Gumball said while letting Gale back down. "It was nice having you around more, daddy," she said. He looked down at her remorsefully before rubbing her head. "I promise, one day, I'll be around a lot more," he said trying to keep her happy.

"And about that offer to hang out, Gumball…" Carrie started. He looked at her in the eye confusedly. "Is that like… a date?" she questioned. He shrugged in response. "Either a friendly gift or a date, that's your call," he answered claiming that it was her choice of if it was either a date or just friends hanging out together while the sun was starting to go down. "…a date would be nice, I guess," Carrie responded which made Gumball snicker. Seeing her act embarrassed and shy like that was somewhat cute to him. "Alright, I'll see you both tomorrow," he claimed before walking away on the streets, seeing the streetlights cut on while he walked home.

While arriving back home, Gumball stretched tiredly before he saw his dad Richard asleep on the couch like usual, but when he walked into the kitchen, he heard a womanly voice. "Oh, Gumball, you're finally home," he heard Nicole talk to him. He turned around and saw her sitting at the table. "Hey, mom. How was it at grandma's?" he asked. She just sighed in irritation. "It went… well. Let's just say I never thought I'd be annoyed from doing nothing. Your father did everything so it was pretty much a mini vacation," she explained how it felt more pointless that she had gone.

Gumball was glad to hear that his grandma was okay but before he could leave the kitchen he heard his mother call out to him. "Wait, honey, let's talk," she said making him raise an eyebrow as he nodded. He came over and sat down at the table. "So, uh, Darwin told me you've been acting odd while we were gone…" she started while recalling what Darwin had told her. "I don't know what you mean, mom. The only thing I've done at all is break up with Penny," gumball claimed that nothing had changed at all, except that heart breaking event, since he did not want anyone to know about his daughter, not even his mother.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry to hear! I know how hard it is to get over a breakup," Nicole said since she expected her son to be sad, but was surprised when he wasn't. "Actually it was kind of easy, since well… you ever hear of love at first sight?" Gumball questioned. Nicole gave him a nod of agreement. "Yeah, I had a crush on a football player in high school," she answered confusedly. "Well it was the kind of love that gave me and Penny our relationship, and I saw her true self and realized it wasn't the kind of love I wanted," he claimed completely surprising her by how he sounded so mature. She didn't know what to say from that point. "I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight," Gumball said. He yawned while going upstairs to get some sleep from the long day with Gale and Carrie. Leaving his mother awestruck.

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10 Months later

Chapter 10: Months later…

Months had passed since Gumball had gotten Gale. Each one of his family members was finding his maturity odd, but they grew used to it, even if they didn't know the reason behind it. He had been dating Carrie for the past months too, and summer was down to its last two weeks before autumn came, fairly early in the morning. Gumball woke up and yawned until he noticed that his brother was not in his fishbowl. He got up out of bed apparently having woken up early today. He walked through his room that had a pile of clothes lying about in need of being cleaned up. He headed downstairs and saw his sister Anais already awake and eating cereal at the kitchen table.

"Morning, Anais," Gumball greeted her while getting his breakfast. "Morning, Gumball, and happy birthday," Anais said. It was his birthday today, but Gumball had completely forgotten about it until now. "Oh, it is?" he chuckled embarrassedly while beginning to eat his cereal. He had been too distracted trying to raise Gale to even notice, though he probably knew why his brother had gone, probably for a surprise party that was obvious. He looked at his sister. "Hey Gumball, mom wanted me to ask you to do something," she claimed. He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh yeah, what is it?" he questioned, knowing that it was probably something to distract him while they set up a surprise party.

"Mom wanted you to go get our clothes from the dry cleaners," Anais claimed giving him the ticket for the dry cleaning store. He nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll be back later," Gumball said and got up, leaving his home and putting the ticket in his pocket. He knew that when he came back, there was most likely a party awaiting him hence his usual birthdays. He was walking down the streets and heading into town, with the warm sun beating down on him from above. The streets of Elmore were as calm as it was now that he had calmed down his antics. It didn't take him long to arrive to the dry cleaners, so he entered inside and saw the white tile floors along with the white room being next to empty.

Gumball went to the line and saw only one person there tapping there foot impatiently. Suddenly he recognized the person. "Miss Simian?" Gumball asked seeing a very old baboon with dark grey fur and a homely primate face, walking solely on her two legs and wearing a dress. "Oh god… I thought when you graduated from middle school I would never see you again!" she exclaimed aloud. Miss Simian was one of his teachers in middle school and he had not seen her in a long time, so it was nice to run into her again. "Hehe, funny ain't it? How have you been?" he asked. She just groaned in response. "I finally retired. Now I'm just waiting for the idiot to find my clothes he lost," she answered still impatient.

Gumball nodded while they stood there. He thought that maybe now he could ask her for advice. "Hey, Miss Simian, what would you do if you had a child?" Gumball asked seeing her roll her eyes. "Right away, get a restraining order against your entire family to stay a hundred feet away from my family," she claimed getting a small chuckle of nervousness from him.

They haven't had the best past with each other. In fact, she despised him entirely due to his antics getting on her nerves. "…sorry for all I did to you in school," Gumball apologized. It surprised her but she groaned again. "It's okay. I know you weren't the only one causing problems. It kind of got boring without you and your brother around, and then old age got me," she claimed reluctantly acting nice towards him. He smiled though when the worker brought Miss Simian her clothes, she immediately left with them, and it wasn't long after Gumball got the clothes he was sent to acquire. Seeing them, they were mainly his father's clothes.

Gumball stepped outside and waited for the traffic to clear up so he could cross the road. "Um, hey Gumball," he looked over and saw Penny standing there. It surprised him since he didn't expect to ever hear her talk to him again after he had dumped her. "Hey, Penny…" he responded awkwardly staring at her. She stepped closer to him. "Listen, can we talk?" she asked. She had been told about his daughter months ago by Tobias that had confirmed what he had told her was true, and she had been remorseful ever since the breakup, and was feeling bad for not believing him. He nodded agreeing to have a quick talk.

"Listen, I just want to say, I'm sorry for not believing you when you told me," Penny started, but Gumball didn't take her so serious at the moment. "I haven't been happy since then. I can't even cheerlead right anymore," she claimed.

He looked at her and sighed, but before he could say anything, Penny suddenly showed him a gift. "Happy sixteenth birthday. I was wondering if… maybe you would consider… giving me a second chance?" she said. Gumball reluctantly took the present and he looked down at it. "Penny, I…" before he could finish his sentence, they suddenly heard a car come to a screeching halt, and they saw a long black limo with heavily tinted windows pull up behind Gumball, making him drop the gift and the dry cleaning. People in black suits with weird masks threw a black bag over his head and put him into it. "Gumball!" Penny screamed as they closed the door and sped off in the limo.

Gumball gasped and panted once he got his head out of the black bag. He saw four people in the limo with him and they were all wearing black suits with white masks. The only difference that could be distinguished between them was their different colored ties. "P-please, don't hurt me!" he begged before hearing a chuckle followed by a familiar voice. "We aren't going to hurt you, Gumball," it was the deep voiced man he had heard before. He was surprised and he looked over to see a person sitting across from him with an orange tie. "Y-you! What do you want with me?" Gumball asked nervously. "You'll see," the deep voiced man claimed.

Gumball looked down to the floor with a red carpet on. The whole limo was red inside, and it was somewhat scary to him. He was thinking they he just got kidnapped by the government on his sixteenth birthday, and it was just what he didn't expect at all. "C-can you at least tell me your name?" he asked. The man nodded back at him.

"Fine… my name is John. That is all I can tell you," the deep voiced man answered while everyone stayed quiet. "Has anyone ever told you that you all look like Slenderman?" Gumball asked but everyone in the limo groaned in unison. "Yes, and it's just to protect our identities," John claimed making the young feline snicker. He just stayed quiet for the rest of the ride, still terrified and wondering just where he was going that they needed him for.

End of Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11 An Award and the Sad Truth

Chapter 11: An Award and the Sad Truth

Gumball was riding in the limo with the four odd people until he felt it come to a stop. "W-where are we?" he asked John, the man who had originally sent him Gale. He heard a chuckle from everyone in the limo. "Put this back on and don't take it off until I say so," he ordered showing the black bag which they had thrown over his head. Gumball nodded and put it on. He then felt his wrists get grabbed and suddenly get dragged along by some of the government workers.

Gumball was terrified since he was unable to see for himself. Soon he felt himself come to a stop. "Alright, take it off," John told him. He did so and removed the black bag from his head to reveal an audience of government agents and workers sitting at the lines of tables, and he was standing beside John on a platform beside a podium. He saw a chair behind him too so he sat in it nervously and saw John go up to the podium and fix the microphone. "Dear fellow agents. I want to introduce the only person who has successfully followed through with the genetic program. Gumball Watterson!" he spoke aloud into the microphone the agents began clapping and cheering.

Gumball was confused. "What is going on?" he asked before seeing John turn to him. "You are the only person who has taken responsibility as intended, the first ever to raise them as their own! We brought you here to congratulate you for doing such a great thing," John explained why they had brought him here.

"W-well thanks, I guess. I just can't imagine my life without Gale now," Gumball replied before looking up and seeing a huge hole since there was next to no ceiling. John chuckled back at him, "I understand, and this was the original room. She caused the explosion in the old genetic cloning area," John exclaimed. The agents did not like the memories of this but there were awkward chuckles in the room. "And as a reward for the first ever to complete this heavy task, we give you this check of 300 dollars!" he claimed, and showed Gumball a check of this large amount of money, making his jaw drop. He couldn't believe that all this was happening to him. He took the check and smiled. He didn't know what to think of John, if he was a friend, an odd person or a strange stalker.

It wasn't long before Gumball looked at the time and realized something. It was already around lunch time and he should have been home hours ago. He looked at the group of agents and chuckled. "I wish I could stay, but I need to get home. It's my birthday today and… I have to do something important, alright?" he explained. John nodded and understood Gumball. "Trust me. We wouldn't have permitted you to stay for so long anyway. Right then, we'll get you back ASAP, though… uh… you gotta wear the bag again to keep this location secret," he responded, so Gumball put the black bag back over his head even though it annoyed him, and he put the check in his pocket so he wouldn't lose it.

It wasn't long before Gumball was being taken back to Elmore by limo. Once they had arrived outside of the high school, they kicked him out and removed the black bag. "Goodbye, Gumball. This is the last time you will see or hear from me. I retire next week," John claimed before closing the door and the limo drove away. Gumball removed the black bag and looking down at the ground. He was trying to forget about it as he just began making his way to Carrie's house, wanting to visit her before he went off to his birthday.

Once Gumball came to the old house, he was wondering if Carrie would believe him once he told her what had happened today. He knocked on the door, and as it opened, he saw Carrie there with her hair fixed back for once so he could see both of her eyes at once. This surprised him since it had not happened before. "W-whoa… you look great," he said. Carrie gave a sheepish smile before Gumball was tackled by Gale and knocked to the ground. "Hi daddy~" she said happily while on his chest. He groaned lightly. "H-hey, sweetheart," Gumball said. He got up and moved her aside, but then he noticed Carrie look sadder than she usually was.

"What's wrong, Carrie?" Gumball asked. Carrie looked down at Gale. "Can you give us a little privacy for a second?" she asked. Gale nodded and walked away to another part of the house. Carrie focused her attention on Gumball and looked at him directly in the eye. "Listen… I love having her stay with me and my parents like her as much as I do," she started. He was nodding during the sentence knowing that she thought this. "What are you getting at?" he asked confused by her.

"I can't have her anymore, Gumball. It's not her, you or me. It's my home. It's too drafty when it's fall and winter, so it will be too cold for her to stay," Carrie explained the harsh reality of her old haunted home that Gale had been raised in so far with them. Gumball looked up at the house and saw a piece of wood fall from it and land in the yard. He nodded sadly and sighed. "I'll figure something out. You did a lot for us already," Gumball claimed before feeling Carrie nuzzle up to him to try and cheer him up while he was staring blankly at the dead grass on the ground. "…you and gale are coming to my party," he said since he predicted that one was going to be thrown for him like every year.

"But what about keeping her a secret?" Carrie questioned. "…I can't do that anymore, and I'm not going to risk her like that. No one even knows of our relationship. Penny even asked me to get back together with her today, so it's better to let everyone know about both now," Gumball explained. He couldn't handle keeping it a secret any longer, especially now that Gale's health was at risk in Carrie's home. "…if that's what you want," she agreed to it and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him blush pink. "I need to tell you about my day to so far," he claimed thinking he should tell her now of what had happened with the government.

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12: The end

Chapter 12: The end

Gumball was walking to his home knowing that Carrie and Gale will catch up later. He was arriving to his home until he saw Penny coming from the other direction holding the same gift she tried to give him. She was shocked to see him. "G-gumball! You're alright!" she said and ran to hug him. "Why wouldn't I be? Why are you here?" he questioned before remembering that he was taken right in front of her. "I was coming to tell your family the bad news but I guess I don't have to now," she claimed with a big smile. Gumball just raised an eyebrow.

When Gumball opened the door, the house was completely dark. He rolled his eyes before flicking on the light switch and seeing his family and many of his friends jump out. "Surprise! Happy birthday, Gumball!" they all yelled in unison. He pretended to be surprised before just chuckling at the sight of his friends and family.

Shortly after the party had started, people were enjoying the celebration so far while Gumball sat alone until he saw Penny come over to him. "You never answered my question," she claimed. He remembered how she asked him to give her a second chance and try their relationship again, so he looked down and sighed before answering. "Sorry, Penny, but… I can't… I already got someone else," Gumball claimed giving her the detail as calm and nicely as possible. This only upset and depressed Penny as she walked away from him, but he heard the doorbell ring. He got up and went to the door, but he knew that it was Carrie and Gale.

Gumball didn't open the door right away. Instead he whistled loudly and got everyone's attention. "Okay, I'm sure you've all been wondering what happened to cause me to completely change for the past few months," he started. His family was the most intrigued by it and they wanted to know the most since they lived with him. Gumball sighed before continuing on his speech. "I've been hiding something from everyone. I had broken up with Penny and began dating Carrie shortly after, and she's been helping me hide the thing that changed me for the past few months," he claimed, knowing that he had everybody's interests peaked.

Gumball opened the door and saw Gale and Carrie, giving them a large smile. "Hey, Carrie and Gale," he greeted them. Gale smiled and wrapped her arms about her father's waist. "Happy birthday, daddy," she said happily. Everyone's eyes widened hearing this. Richard fainted, Nicole's eye twitched in shock while Anais and Darwin's jaws dropped down. Gumball picked up Gale and turned to them. "Everyone, this is my daughter, Gale," he claimed happily, though he could see all eyes focused on them and Carrie. Nicole went up to the three still in her shocked expression. "Um… I-is she the mother?" she asked, but Carrie shook her head. "No, I just helped take care of her," Carrie answered irritated by the long running gaze they were receiving now.

"Gale, meet your grandma," Gumball laughed somewhat finding their reactions humorous. Nicole saw the young feline which made her smile alone over her cuteness. She rubbed Gale's head. "We're so going to have a family talk after this, but for now, why don't we just continue the party?" she asked. Everyone at the party agreed and continued like normal, but they now knew the reason why he had changed and were still surprised by this. It took a while for the awkwardness to leave the party.

While Gumball was relaxing and seeing everyone enjoy his sixteenth birthday, he was eating a slice of his cake before feeling a shiver down his spine. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his ghostly girlfriend behind him. "Do you think I did the right thing?" he asked while seeing Gale playing with Anais. "I think so, and about me not being her mother?" Carrie responded making him raise an eyebrow. "Yeah?" he asked looking at her eyes seeing a blush on her. "I'd like to be hers one day. Happy birthday," she claimed making his eyes widen and his cheek blush a rose red. He nodded and they pressed one another's lips into a deep kiss, while Penny looked over from a distance and acted jealous.

After a few hours, the friends at the party had left, leaving only his family. Gumball was glad that his family were coming to good terms with him having a daughter. "Why were you keeping her secret from us?" Darwin asked his brother. Gumball nervously chuckled back. "I was afraid you'd be mad," he answered not wanting to mention the government at all. He smiled while seeing Gale asleep on the couch tired from the party.

"Of course we wouldn't. She's another one of the Watterson family," Richard supported. "Trust me, honey. Your father and I were in a similar position when you were first born," Nicole claimed making him look down awkwardly before laughing at himself for ending up in a position similar to his parents. "So… you don't mind her staying with us?" Gumball asked, nervous and unsure of what he will do if they said no, but thankfully they all nodded. "Of course not," Darwin told him. "But she's older then Anais, so you need some kind of punishment," Nicole claimed with a twitch in her eye only at the thought of her son doing anything to create a child before Anais was even born.

"Sounds good to me," Gumball answered with a smile. Everyone agreed upon that punishment and Gumball was ready to continue raising Gale with his family to now aid him, with any hardships along the way.

the end...


	13. Chapter 13 Epilogue

Epilogue

Six years had passed since Gumball had revealed Gale to his family and friends, and they had all been accepting of it. A lot had occurred over those six years.

At Elmore Middle School, Gale was setting something up in the end of the hallway. Students were lining up the hall and watching her set up a big rubber band with an office chair on wheels, being pulled back on it and ready to be launched at the release of a single locker opening. "Here I go!" she cheered before opening the locker. It swung open and released the hold it had on the rubber band, sending the chair with her sitting on it, shooting down the hall in an incredible speed before seeing one of her teachers, an apparent rhinoceros in a grey suit. When he saw her coming in the chair, he screamed in fear and they smashed into each other, knocking up a huge cloud of dust.

Gale groaned when she realized that she was being held by the back of her shirt collar by the rhinoceros. "Trying to break the fastest chair record again, Gale?" he questioned. She nodded happily. "Yeah, Mister Isaac," she answered the rhino who was named Isaac, and he was the principal of the school, and he wasn't all too happy with Gale's antic. "Well you did, so congratulations on that, but I asked you to at least warn me before you try. Come on, let's go call your parents," he said and walked down the hallway making her follow, though she was very proud that she had broken the fastest chair record.

Gumball, who was wearing a blue jacket with a hardhat and white undershirt, and looked like he had grown up a lot in the past six years, was in a warehouse carrying heavy boxes. He was working with various other workers to load up delivery trucks. He had just finished up loading another box, and he groaned while rubbing his back in pain before hearing his cellphone ring. He pulled it out and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he answered. "Yes, Mr Watterson, it's Principal Isaac, your daughter got into another 'incident', and I need you and your wife to come down here to talk," Isaac claimed, making Gumball groan. "I'll be there soon," he replied. He hung up and left his job a little early, heading to his Cadillac and driving off to the middle school.

When Gumball arrived to the middle school. The school day was almost over and he wandered around the halls until he arrived to the principal's office. He opened the door and went inside. Where he saw Carrie floating in her chair. She was bigger than before and had her hair slightly longer than she usually would, and was holding a ghostly young child who was barely a year old. The infant had a feline tail but looked a lot like Carrie, and she had Gale sitting beside her. "Hey, honey. How's Cody doing?" Gumball greeted her and smiled at the ghost baby that giggled. This baby was called Cody and he was their new child.

"Fine, I was picking him up from daycare when Isaac called," Carrie responded. She had a gold band around her finger-less hand, which was her wedding ring, or what they used as one. "Right, anyway, I called you here because Gale broke the fastest chair record and crashed into me simultaneously… for the fifth time this week," Isaac claimed, though he just got a confused look by most of them. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Carrie asked. Isaac shrugged in response. "Well obviously, it is quite an honor to break a school record that was previously set by Ron Road Runner, but she has made it a bit dangerous. If I wasn't thick skinned she could have seriously injured me by now," Isaac explained what was wrong with her making a chair launcher.

"Don't worry, Principal Isaac. We'll deal with it," Gumball claimed. Gale looked down in shame. Isaac nodded at them, happy that they said they will. The family of four left shortly after and they all went into Gumball's car. "What's my punishment?" Gale asked since she had been used to getting into trouble and being punished for it. "Nothing aside from cleaning the kitchen all by yourself tonight," Carrie answered while Cody was in a child's car seat in the back beside his sister and he was chewing on a teething ring.

"Alright, mommy," Gale agreed to it. Gumball chuckled as he was starting to feel like his parents due to the way they kept getting called over for her getting in trouble. It sure felt like déjà vu to him. He just ignored it and reversed the car out of the middle school parking lot, beginning to drive back to their home.

End of Epilogue


End file.
